Urgent evacuation after Nazi BOMB is found in UK garden – with residents given just one hour to flee before it blows up
TERRIFIED residents have been urgently evacuated from their homes after a Nazi bomb was found in a UK garden.
A man digging his daughter's garden in St Michael Avenue in Keyham, Plymouth, alerted cops after finding the historic device on Tuesday.
For decades, the unexploded military ordinance lay dormant in the garden of the family home after failing to detonate during an air raid.
The bomb is a German-made weapon weighing 500kg that was used extensively throughout the Second World War.
Named SC-500, the same type of bomb was detonated in a controlled explosion off the north coast of Guernsey in July last year.
Now, within a three-hour window, highly-trained bomb disposal experts will remove the weapon before transporting it.
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Today, Plymouth City Council announced that the bomb would be taken by military convoy to the Torpoint Ferry slipway to be dropped in the sea.
A total of 3,250 people are understood to have been evacuated from the area, affecting around 1,219 homes.
A 300-metre cordon was also put in place around the site.
In a statement, Plymouth City Council said: "Following more information about the device and after considering all options, including a controlled detonation on site, partners have agreed that the safest and least impactful option is to remove the device from St Michael Avenue and travel to the Torpoint Ferry slipway - for the bomb to be disposed of at sea.
"Highly trained bomb disposal experts will carefully remove the device from the property and it will be transported by road in a military convoy, west along Parkside and Royal Navy Avenue, joining at the junction on Saltash Road to continue south joining Albert Road, turning right along Park Avenue and heading down Ferry Road to the Torpoint Ferry terminal.
"However, in order for this to happen, we need support from residents in the area along the route.
"Anyone who lives within 300 metres of the route will need to leave their homes today for about three hours."
The Ministry of Defence has called the transportation of the unexploded bomb one of the largest peacetime evacuation operations in the UK since the Second World War.
A number of schools and nurseries will be closed in Plymouth to enable the operation to happen.
Meanwhile, trainlines will be closed and ferry and bus services will be suspended or diverted as the convoy gets underway.
Chief Superintendent Ian Drummond-Smith said on X, formerly Twitter: "The most challenging evacuation I have known.
"Thank you to all the community for their patience and good spirits.
"We’ll be coming door to door in the evacuation zone shortly."
The man who found the bomb fears the property will be sacrificed as local worry insurance firms may not pay up to cover any damage.
On Thursday he told PlymouthLive: "Last night my daughter and her two neighbours were brought together for a meeting where they were effectively told to prepare that all three houses were going to be destroyed.
He said: "She only lived in the house for a few weeks.
"I've been helping out, doing DIY, sorted out a bedroom for her.
"We got four rooms re-plastered and were working on the extension for the kitchen.
"In all I think we've spent about £15,000 on refurbishing it.
"So far, my call to the insurance company has been positive and they've said they will cover the cost, but I keep hearing people talk about a War Exclusion clause, which is what happened with the recent Exeter bomb case.
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"My hope is they will honour what they've said."
Devon and Cornwall Police were called at 10.26am on Tuesday after the object was found on St Michael Avenue.
